Our youth are too precious to waste on militarization

Give them education not militarization

What We Are Doing

We, the Chicago Chapter of Veterans for Peace, are pursuing a many-pronged campaign to bring Peace at Home, Peace Abroad by focusing on youth and the demilitarization of public education.

As veterans, we’ve experienced the military from inside, and many of us have fought in one or more of our country’s all-too-frequent wars. Despite the common claims of recruiters, generals, corporate media and politicians, we can tell you that when the military is sent in, they are there to dominate any person or group that is rightly, wrongly or unnecessarily identified as an enemy, and that the military’s core method is violence.

Domination and violence, and consequently the military, have no place in the lives of youth or our schools.

Yet, because of the myths that have been built over many decades that the military model is about “leadership”, “freedom”, “honor” and “service”, military “education” persists in invading public education, especially in Chicago, which, as you can see in the video, now has the most militarized public school system in the country. Getting the military out of the Chicago Public Schools can be the start to removing the military model from public education nationally.

We seek to build a movement to remove the military model of conflict resolution by violence from the lives of youth here in Chicago, and to turn Chicago Public Schools into a national model for teaching cooperation, nonviolent conflict resolution skills, and restorative justice.

Very glad to learn about this outstanding initiative, and I wish you the greatest — well-deserved — success.

Noam Chomsky

Regarding any input I have about your work to demilitarize public education in Chicago, it has my wholehearted support. We should be teaching our children how to resolve conflicts in a peaceful and constructive way.

Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton

How You Can Help

Militarism is so prevalent that it is unseen by many. Most would be surprised to learn that our government spends over $600M on military advertising each year and a total of over $3.2B on military recruitment each year! Even Chicago's cash-strapped public schools shell out $17 million each year to support their JROTC program. While the government can use our tax dollars to advertise and promote their position, we must rely on WE THE PEOPLE to counter their message of militarism.

To build awareness and broad support for our Education Not Militarization initiative, ChicagoVFP has explored and will use social media and other free modalities to educate the community, but we need more muscle.

Please help bring Peace at Home, Peace Abroad by donating generously to our campaign so we can buy stickers, banners, cards, bracelets, etc. to spread the message.

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How To Help Beyond Donations

Whether you can or can’t donate, you can help greatly by telling as many people as possible about our efforts. Post us on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Send emails about us to your contact lists. Whatever you can think to do to help raise as much awareness as possible will be greatly appreciated not only by us, but by all the middle and high school students who together we might save from a militarized “education” of conflict resolution by violence.

Thank You!

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Veterans for Peace

Veterans For Peace is a 501(c)3 global organization of Military Veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars, with an obligation to heal the wounds of wars. Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars.

VFP and the U.N.

Veterans For Peace is the only veterans organization in the world that is recognized by the United Nations.

A Comment From the UK

The militarization of childhood is spreading everywhere. Here's a powerful reaction from Britain.

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Position Paper

The Military Model and Children

This Position Paper addresses the issue of the militarization of Chicago Public SchoolsFebruary 2015

The military model is conflict resolution by violence. The military model is following orders without question. The military model is humanly, environmentally and financially expensive. The military model is the antithesis of democracy. The military model is detrimental to the national security of this nation. Yet, Chicago Public Schools is teaching the military model to over 10,000 children. CPS is the most militarized school system in the nation.

Veterans For Peace is an international 501(c)3 organization of military veterans and allies whose main focus is to abolish war and rid us of the human, environmental and financial costs of this barbaric solution to conflict. Our motto is Peace at Home, Peace Abroad. There is a direct connection between the application of the military model abroad and the militarization of the police, the militarization of schools and the violence and deterioration we see at home.

In 2013 several members of the Chicago Chapter of Veterans For Peace attended the annual Memorial Day parade along State Street. It is billed as the largest Memorial Day parade in the nation. They were appalled to see thousands of mostly dark skinned children in military uniforms marching in the parade. The parade was more about promoting the military model than a memorial for those killed.

Since the war machine is so well funded and so well promoted and so ingrained in the culture of the U.S., the abolition of war becomes a daunting task. The Chicago Chapter decided to concentrate on one segment of the war machine — the indoctrination of children. If children are taught that the military model of conflict resolution by violence is the right way, and they are given recognition and special treatment for participating, and parents and the community encourage them, they will participate. Children do not have the maturity to question. Children do not have the mental strength to challenge the culture. It has been said that children do better academically in military academies. Children thrive when they are given opportunities, resources and recognition in any environment. Give them opportunities, resources and recognition in a music academy, a science academy, a poetry academy, or a traditional classroom, and they will thrive.

Veterans For Peace, through our initiative “Education not Militarization”, is standing up for the children of Chicago and for our nation. We are working to educate the community on the reality of the military model. We seek to build a movement to remove the military model of conflict resolution by violence from the lives of children and youth here in Chicago, and to turn Chicago Public Schools into a national model for teaching a well rounded curriculum for all students that includes cooperation, nonviolent conflict resolution skills and restorative justice. We are working to help children achieve a future free from war and violence and the resulting human, environmental and financial devastations.